Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
The following has been emailed to all parents as a PDF and will not display correctly in this news item. Please ignore the contents page, as the page numbers will not be accurate on the web page/app
September 2020 Opening Plan Ashleigh Primary School
Purpose
The objective of this plan is to share with parents and stakeholders, how Ashleigh Primary will manage the full reopening of school on 1st September 2020.
This plan includes:
|
Item |
Page(s) |
|
Back to school summary |
2 |
|
Transition |
2 |
|
Staggered School Times |
3 |
|
Breakfast Club / After SchoolClubs |
4 |
|
Bubbles (class groups) |
4 |
|
Online learning (plan B) |
5 |
|
Curriculum |
6 |
|
Uniform |
6 |
|
P.E. |
6 |
|
Equipment |
6 |
|
Behaviour |
6 |
|
Attendance |
7 |
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First Aid |
7 |
|
COVID19 Cases |
7 |
|
Links to Government Guidance |
9 |
Back to School Summary
We are looking forward to welcoming all pupils back, full time in September. Over the last couple of weeks of this term, we have been finalising the finer details of the reopening, and are pleased to share with you the following details of how school will function on your child’s return. Please do take time to read the document carefully and it will be useful to keep it to one side, ready to refresh yourself and your child before the return.
The Government have stated that on 11th August, they will make a final announcement around the schools reopening. We are not expecting any major changes, but on or just after this date, it would be prudent to check the school website noticeboard and app. Any important messages as usual, will be shared there.
The school office and email system will be closed for the majority of the summer holiday. Although teachers will be working from home and in school for a part of the summer break, please do not expect any response to queries made via the website until after the 1st September.
Parents will be welcome to visit the office from September, but this should be limited to really urgent matters, please use email or phone for the majority of communications.
Transition
The children will all start in their new classes on 1st September. We are aware that this will cause anxiety with some children and so to help alleviate this, Teachers have produced a welcome video for members of their new class. Links for the children to watch these videos will be sent via email and the school app on Monday 20th July.
Pupil in EYFS will have a staggered start lasting 3 weeks. The plan for these younger pupils is different this year, as school recognises that many children have not attended nursery since March and some not at all. This is why the part time period is longer than usual. By Monday 21st September, all children will be in full time. Parents of EYFS children have been contacted separately with these details.
We have distributed workbooks for all years currently in school (not the new Reception children) so that you have some materials to use over the summer break. Please feel free to do as much as you would like. We realise that some of the content, as it is aimed at a particular year group, may not be completely relevant to all children.
Staggered School Times
|
Groups of children |
Location |
School Day |
Entry into school |
Exit at end of the day |
Markings on playground |
|
Reception |
Reception Classroom |
9.00am – 3.30pm |
Reception class door |
Reception class door |
Yellow dots |
|
Year R/ 1 |
Year R/ 1 Classroom |
8.45am – 3.15pm |
Staffroom ramp |
Staffroom ramp |
Blue dots down side of school |
|
Year 1/2 |
Year 1/2 Classroom |
8.30am – 3.00pm |
Junior door |
Junior door |
Blue dots on playground |
|
Year 3 |
Year 3 Classroom |
9.00am – 3.30pm |
Junior door |
Junior door |
Blue dots on playground |
|
Year 4 |
Year 4 Classroom |
8.45am – 3.15pm |
Kitchen door |
Kitchen door |
Blue dots on playground |
|
Y5 |
Year 5 Classroom |
8.30am- 3.00pm |
Staffroom ramp |
Staffroom ramp |
Blue dots down side of school |
|
Y6 |
Year 6 Classroom |
8.45- 3.15pm |
Junior door |
Junior door |
Blue dots on playground |
The main gate will be the only way on to the grounds, the infant end gate will be the exit. Parents should follow the arrows and not cross any do not enter points. In order to maintain social distancing, only one adult may come on to the playground to leave or collect their child, keeping any other children off the premises wherever possible. They should stand on one of the coloured dots on the playground as indicated in the table above.
Siblings to be dropped off with the latest time child and collected with the earliest time child, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the SLT.
There will be a 10 minute window to drop off and collect your children. This must be adhered to, to ensure that Bubbles of children do not mix upon entry/exit. If you are late collecting your child, children will have to wait in the classroom until all other pupils/classes have exited and it is safe to allow them to leave.
If you are late dropping pupils to school, you will need to inform the office who will arrange for staff to let your child in through their entry point door, once all other pupils using that door have come through in to school.
No pupils will be able to come through the main reception unless for exceptional circumstances, such as being collected due to a medical appointment.
Please can we ask parents to continue to stick to social distancing guidelines while waiting outside to drop off or collect children. The coloured spots on the playground should be used whilst waiting to drop off or collect.
It is deemed preferable that Year 6 are also escorted to school, to discourage them from congregating, but we understand that this may not always be possible.
Parents are encouraged to walk to school, rather than drive, by the Government during this period.
Why? Congestion at the start and end of the day is one of the main areas of concern for transmission as numbers on the site will be at their highest. It will need everybody to take responsibility and think about how to protect pupils, staff and other parents by staying away from one another. It also means that staff will not be available for conversations at the beginning and end of the day and hand overs must be extremely brief.
Breakfast club
We are delighted to be able to run our Breakfast Club from September. Due to the current situation, we have had to make changes to the way it operates.
The Breakfast Club manager will then email a confirmation within 24 hours to confirm your place for the following week. Children do not need to attend every day, but we must know the days you are sending them the week before in your email request. Anyone turning up who has not pre-booked, sadly, will not able to stop.
After School Clubs
For the duration of the autumn term we will not be running any after school-clubs. This will be reviewed for the Spring Term or when we are told it is safe to resume these activities.
At the point of sending this letter to parents (Friday 17th July), school is unaware whether or not the after school club, Kidsland, is able to offer their usual service. Kidsland will contact parents directly regarding their service from September. New parents, please contact Kidsland directly if you would like more information from them.
www.kidsland-kidsclub.com yvonne@kidsland-kidsckub.com 07966224968
Bubbles (class groups)
Children and staff will stay fixed to a class bubble so that the transmission of germs is reduced to solely that group. They will have no/extremely limited contact with other children in other bubbles in school. The bubble will stay together for the entirety of the day and there will be no physical whole school events (such as assemblies or super singing).
Children will come straight into their bubble space in the morning, using sanitiser as they enter. Once the children are all in are all in, staff will check to make sure the basins are not being used, and then will supervise hand washing for children in their bubble. Sanitiser will be used frequently through the day, with children washing their hands or using sanitiser, after they arrive, after playtime, before and after lunch as a minimum.
Toilets and sinks will be cleaned throughout the day.
Bubble pupils will play together at break and dinner but stay separate from other bubbles. They will eat dinner in their own classes and lunchtimes will be staggered.
Within the bubbles, pupils cannot and will not be expected to keep a two metre gap from one another, although our junior pupils in particular will be encouraged to think about personal space.
This means that pupils will continue to mingle within their own bubbles – pupils at this age naturally wish to interact in close proximity with one another and, to not allow them to do so, would reduce a large amount of the purpose of school at this age. The government have recognised that schools would not be able to open to all pupils if a distance of 2 metres was to be maintained between all pupils. Also, experience tells us that young pupils may understand the concept of keeping a distance but are unlikely to stick to it. However, staff should/must try to keep a reasonable distance from pupils, and how they interact with children will be different. E,g, when helping a child, they should not get down to the same level, rather, they should stay stood up, so that the child and adult are not breathing in each others faces.
Adults will need to keep to social distancing guidance when possible, and will still be asked to limit close contact with the children.
The Local Authority have clarified that there are three key protective measures that schools must take. Where one measure cannot be adhered to strictly, then one or both other measures should. These measures are:
Online Learning – Plan B
If there is another National or more likely, a local Lockdown, then school will revert to providing online learning through an online learning platform. It is likely we will also use this platform to set and check homework during the year. We are in the process of setting this up. This should enable us to use a wider variety of teaching resources, as the new platform will allow great flexibility for staff to use a greater variety of teaching methods.
If a Class Bubble has to isolate then the children in that bubble will revert back to learning online, via the learning platform. This will also be the case for any pupil who is shielding. We will give you more details about this in the first week or so in September.
Curriculum
During the first few weeks of term, teachers will look at what pupils have learned whilst at school this term, and what has been achieved at home. We know that pupils keep on learning even when they are not taught. Some pupils will have gone beyond expectations because of the activities they have carried out at home and there will be some pupils who have struggled to complete much of the set work.
valuate what has been
What the children need to learn when they return, and what they can be taught, will be significantly disrupted by the ongoing situation. The focus must be returning to school in a calm, safe manner and it is unlikely that many pupils will be in the right frame of mind to absorb the curriculum at their usual pace. Therefore, there will be a temporary focus on these areas until things can return to normal. We will continue with our emphasis on rebuilding relationships and supporting the wellbeing of all pupils and staff. There is little evidence as yet of the impact on mental health due to the coronavirus - the missed time from work, education and loved ones. So at Ashleigh we will continue to allow space within out school week to explore any concerns and give necessary support. After all, without emotional well-being pupils are unable to work to the best of their academic ability.
It is now more than ever, that Ashleigh’s nurturing community (inside and outside of school) need to demonstrate strength and compassion in order to help pupils thrive once more.
Uniform
Children are expected to wear normal school uniform.
Although we no longer need to request that the children wear clean uniform each day, we do advise that personal hygiene be strictly monitored to prevent cross contamination of germs.
PE
Children will be asked to come in to school in their PE kits, on their PE days. School sweat shirts can still be worn on those days, children can wear trainers (no laces for younger children, and children must be able to tie laces if they have them), if children have them and you want them to wear them, tracksuit bottoms can also be worn as the weather gets cooler. Teachers will let you know in the first few days of school in September which days are PE days.
Equipment
Children must limit what they bring to school. No toys will be permitted. A pencil case to leave in school is required. A coat and water bottle should be the only items to come back and forth from school. Small book bags/back packs are permitted but large ruck sacks are not. Cloakroom space will be limited.
Lunchboxes made of washable fabric or plastic are also advised.
Behaviour
Our behaviour policy is still applicable. However, there is one important alteration specific to the Covid-19 response and the need for social distancing:
In the event that a child refuses to adhere to social distancing guidelines, staff will make every effort to educate the child about safety in order to change their behaviour.
If this behaviour continues and the child shows disregard for the health and safety of others in their classroom, the teacher will ask a member of SLT to remove the child from the classroom to another room. The parent will be contacted to collect the child.
We appreciate that the younger pupils will find it extremely hard to observe the social distancing rules and we will give them lots of praise and encouragement to be as socially distant as is reasonable. The above sanction will only be used in the event that a child is refusing to follow the rules.
DFE guidance states:
School attendance will be mandatory again from the beginning of the Autumn term. This means from the 1st September, the usual rules on school attendance will apply:
· parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age;
· schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence
· the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct
·Where a pupil is unable to attend school because they are complying with clinical and/or public health advice, schools are expected to immediately offer them access to remote education. Schools should monitor engagement with this activity.
·Where a pupil is unable to attend school because parents are following clinical and/or public health advice, absence will not be penalised.
·All other pupils must attend school.
First Aid
Please do not send a child to school with any symptom of Covid-19. This can be anything from mild cold symptoms, to upset tummy and a rash or indeed the most prevalent symptoms of persistent dry cough and high temperature.
In the event of your child becoming unwell at school, they will be taken to the Sunshine room and will wait there until they can be collected. They will need collecting as quickly as possible. The supervising adult is required to wear a disposable apron, gloves and facemask.
If a child cuts themselves or has an injury, we will administer first aid as usual but will take the additional precautions of:
Staff will obviously continue to be kind and nurturing towards children, but will be less able to offer physical reassurance or comfort.
Covid -19 Suspected case
If a pupil or adult is ill and they display symptoms similar to Covid-19,
Schools must:
All children can be tested, including children under 5, but children aged 11 and under will need to be helped by their parents/carers if using a home testing kit.
Test returns as negative:
Test returns as positive:
They can return to school only if they do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste. These symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.
The 7-day period starts from the day when they first became ill. If they still have a high temperature, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. Their household should self-isolate for the full 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms, following ‘stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection’.
Any positive result will be shared with the child/adults Bubble who will all be asked to self-isolate and seek testing. The Bubble will only return to school once the period of 14 days self-isolation (from the last date they were in contact with the infected person) has ended, or a negative test result has been given.
Links to Government Guidance
|
Title of Guidance |
Link |
|
School attendance: guidance for |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school |
|
Guidance for full opening: |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for |
|
Government launches NHS |
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government |
|
COVID-19: guidance for |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19- |
|
What parents and carers need |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what |
|
Supporting your children's |
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens |
|
Guidance for parents and carers |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19- |
|
Staying alert and safe (social |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying |
|
COVID-19: guidance on |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance |
|
Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: |
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus |
I look forward to seeing all again in September.
Stay safe and well,
Mr. Matthews
Good afternoon everyone. We have purchased some revision books for each child, which are available in the school entrance for you to pick up at any time today or tomorrow (Wednesday/Thursday). Please ensure when you arrive at school you adhere to social distancing guidelines. These books cover some aspects of the curriculum in English and Maths children may have missed during the lockdown. We hope you find them a useful resource over the summer break. Please note, there are no books for children in Y6 , as they were given them earlier in the year.
Stay safe and well, Mr. Matthews
Message from BwD
The following was released tonight by our local authority, Blackburn with Darwen.
NEW AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL LOCAL LOCKDOWN ⚠️
PLEASE READ NOW, TAG AND SHARE:
We are doing everything we can to avoid a local Coronavirus lockdown for Blackburn with Darwen. The most recent figures show that we are fourth in the country for the number of cases per 100,000. To avoid a lockdown - as seen in Leicester - our Director for Public Health is now asking ALL residents to take these new steps immediately and for at least the next month:
⚠️ A limit of 2 people from the same household allowed to visit another household
⚠️ Please wear face coverings in all enclosed public spaces
⚠️ Avoid hugging or shaking hands with anyone outside of your immediate family
⚠️ Small shops - we will be stepping up our Public Protection advice to ensure that guidelines around face coverings, social distancing, good hygiene and increased ventilation is being followed.
⚠️ Get tested - even if you don’t have symptoms this will help with case finding
Prof. Dominic Harrison said: “These steps will help and we are appealing to everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to follow them to protect themselves and their loved ones. “If we don’t, a local lockdown, like in Leicester, becomes a very real possibility.”
Please read the full update now at: bit.ly/3gZwcQ8
It’s really important that this message reaches as many residents as possible. Please TAG your family and friends to help keep them safe 🌈
Stay safe, Mr. Matthews
This message is from our local authority. Stay safe, Mr. Matthews
Dear Parents/carers
I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well during this period. It is great to see so many children and young people enjoying the return to school in those key year groups identified by government. We look forward to welcoming all of our children back to schools and settings in September.
Our schools within BwD have developed thorough Risk Assessments in opening schools to wider pupils and continue to update these ready for September. Schools as part of infection control are all being thoroughly cleaned to help prevent the spread of the virus, as we have been instructed to do by Public Health England.
As well as thorough cleaning, schools are also continuing to:
• Enforce hand-washing or providing hand sanitisers
• Maintain social distancing
• Provide lessons for pupils about hygiene
• Providing ongoing advice and support to children about how to deal with anxiety
• Providing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment for staff in schools
We are sending this letter to all our schools and settings in the area to inform you:
Infection rates in the Borough are rising and as part of our Community response, we want to stress the importance of further coronavirus testing.
A temporary mobile testing site is being introduced at the car park at Witton Park Academy from Saturday, July 11th. We are very grateful to the school for supporting our response to this and want to make it very clear the location is based on easy access for the Community and not linked to the school.
The centre will be running between 11am to 6.30pm for the next week. This will be a drive-through and walk-in testing site and appointments are not needed. It is free and is available for all ages.
People will be expected to carry out their swabs themselves, which will then be handed to staff to store safely and send for processing.
You will also need to fill your details in for the testing staff to contact you with the results.
Please attend the temporary mobile site if you would like to be tested as a precaution.
You can use NHS 111 online if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next.
Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health for Blackburn with Darwen, said: “We are continuing to take this situation very seriously and monitoring it very closely. Whilst we haven’t had the level of outbreak seen in Leicester and other areas, we are aware of our raised rate of confirmed cases according to recent data. We are therefore introducing a range of measures to mitigate risks in a proportionate and phased way that would avoid us having to lockdown.
“In the first instance this includes introducing mobile testing in a central location in the borough with the capability to move around to any areas of concern. We have also published our outbreak management plan, are stepping up our local prevention work week-on-week with vulnerable settings and are strengthening our communications with key groups. We are working closely with the local NHS to make Pennine Lancashire ‘second wave ready’ and are making plans to increase the availability of local testing for higher risk groups.
“My message continues to be: stick to 2 metres social distancing wherever possible, increase daily handwashing and wear a face covering in all enclosed public space. For schools, continue to follow the national guidance on making your spaces Covid-safe.
“Above us all else we need to work together to keep Blackburn with Darwen a Covid–safe borough. It’s up to us all to stick by the rules and protect each other.”
We need to make sure that we are doing everything we possibly can to prevent the spread of the virus in our Community.
Providing it is safe to do so we look forward to the full welcoming of children back to schools and settings in September.
Kind regards,
Jayne Ivory, Director of Children’s Services
Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing
Dear Parent / Carer,
As you are aware since the government announced the closure of schools in March, we have remained open in the first instance for our key workers and identified children. Since 8th June we have been delighted to invite children from Rabbits, Bears and Giraffes classes into school. We look forward to September and the return to school for all our children.
As we close school for the summer holidays we are aware for some families there will be a need for childcare over part of the break.
Our local authority is working hard with out of school providers and holiday schemes / clubs to give you and your family a clear overview of what is on offer in your local area during the holidays. The guidance from the government regarding out of school settings has only recently been available for providers, hence the delay in being able to share the offer with you earlier.
For holiday childcare provision please visit the Families Information Service, contact details for which are :
Helpline: 01254 667877
Email: fis@blackburn.gov.uk
Website: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/SynergyWeb/
Information regarding out of school activities for this summer are available at www.getstuckin.org.uk where you will find lists of all the activities, venues, ages and times. You will also be able to register to take part on this site. More information will be shared soon on the Council Website and Facebook pages. Another useful place for information is the Local Offer www.bwd-localoffer.org.uk
There will be further communication regarding school opening in September but we wanted to give our families a clear understanding of the possible opportunities within our local authority during the summer holidays when school is closed.
Stay safe and well,
Mr. Matthews
Dear Parent/Guardian,
I hope this message finds you safe and well during what continues to be very strange times.
Over the last few weeks we have welcomed back children from Reception, Year One and Year Six.
I am delighted to say that they have all settled back into school life very easily, although obviously it’s not the usual school life they are used to.
Mrs Walsh
I am sad to say, that after nearly two decades of service at Ashleigh, Mrs Walsh has decided to retire at the end of this term. She has been a class teacher over the last 19 years for an unbelievable number of children, nearly 600 in total! In addition to this, her work in the Arts and especially Music, has left school with a superb legacy. This was recently recognised by the award of the Music Mark and a Gold Award from the Arts Council. It is hard to measure the impact Mrs Walsh has had on Ashleigh over the years, as she has made such a significant contribution in so many areas of school life. Whether it was on trips, whole school events, shows or in the day to day life of school, Mrs Walsh has been at the centre of things, and has always kept the best interests of our children at heart. She has repeatedly demonstrated absolute dedication to school and I know that the staff and children will miss her more than a few lines in a letter can ever convey. Although we wish her all the very best in the next chapter of her life, we are selfishly hoping that she will find time in what is likely to be a busy retirement, to keep in touch with school, perhaps even, having a role in our future music successes. Many thanks Mrs Walsh, Happy Retirement.
September 2020 onwards
We have been planning and looking ahead to what September may look like in school for a number of weeks now. At the end of last week, Gavin Williamson, the secretary of state for Education revealed guidance from the government and DFE for the wider reopening of schools in the new academic year. Although detailed, it also raises a few questions, which local authorities will be asking for clarification for over the next couple of weeks. What we can say at this point, is that school will be open to all children, full time, from September.
In many ways school will be similar to how it was pre COVID19, and in others, very different. Many of the lockdown procedures we have put in place to minimize contact between children and staff will continue when we reopen completely, but there will be some things which just can’t take place or will have to be delayed until it is deemed safe enough. For example, we won’t be able to have assemblies or whole school gatherings, as children will be kept in year group bubbles and won’t be able to mix. We will be reorganising the school day so that a staggered start and end is possible, to minimise contact between parents and children from different bubbles. The one way system around the school building will continue to help with that. Children will be expected to wear the usual school uniform, so please ensure over the holidays you prepare for that in the same way you usually would.
Next week I should be able to tell you whether wrap around care, i.e. breakfast club and after school clubs will be able to operate, either in a modified way, or at all.
Many of the ways teachers deliver lessons and organise their classrooms will have to change in light of the guidance from the DFE, so for example, desks will be arranged all facing the front and direct contact between staff and children will be minimised as much as possible.
How we do parents evenings and other school events will in all likelihood change too. The use of technology will help us to overcome some of these hurdles, but as anyone who was in the New Intake Zoom meeting last week will know, things don’t always work perfectly first time! I am sure that as we progress through the Autumn term, some of the things which we thought we couldn’t do, will become feasible, and we may have to adapt others processes to make them work more effectively for us.
Before we finish for summer, I will send you more details of what you can expect when your children return on Tuesday 1st September.
End of year arrangements
Next Monday you will receive your child’s End of Year Report via email. We obviously don’t usually email reports, but are doing so this year in order to minimise risks for parents. Please find attached to that email, a separate document which you can fill in and email back, if you would like to make a comment on your child’s other accomplishments out of school. As usual with the reports, you will find out who your child’s next teacher will be.
Our last day of term is Monday 20th July. We are continuing to follow our published calendar as instructed to by the DFE. Our finish time at the end of term is usually 1pm. Due to the staggered start and end of each day, we will have to finish at different times that day too.
So just for Monday 20th July the school day is as follows:
As ever, please ensure that you drop off and pick up at the allotted time and follow the one-way system round school, so as to avoid contact with parents/children from other bubbles.
As I have already mentioned, I will write to you again before we finish for summer, with more details about September onwards.
Stay safe and well,
Mr. Matthews
This was sent via email to all parents